Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 22 : 54-62 "JESUS ARRESTED!"
Day 300 – Luke 22
Text: Luke 22 : 54-62
JESUS ARRESTED!
Luke described the people who came to accost Jesus and to arrest Him, with some irony. There was a fairly large group of people who came. Let’s observe the people who made up the detachment that arrested Jesus.
Luke noted that there were,
“Chief priests, captains of the Temple,
And the Elders…”
Luke 22:52
Matthew noted the size of the detachment.
“Judas, one of the twelve,
with a great multitude with swords and clubs,
came from the chief priests and elders of the people.”
Matthew 26:47
Mark also made a similar observation as Matthew.
“Judas, one of the twelve,
with a great multitude with swords and clubs,
came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.”
Mark 14:43
John’s account was even more vivid.
“Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops,
and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,
came there (Garden of Gethsemane) with
lanterns, torches and weapons.” John 18:3
The idea of Jesus being arrested was so difficult to comprehend! Arrest Jesus? What madness was this! And who were the people who went out to arrest Him? They were none other than the religious leaders who had plotted against Him all this while (John 11:53; Luke 22:2). Imagine “religious leaders” engaging in such abuse of authority! But worse was to come.
ROMAN HELP ENLISTED
The people who came to arrest Jesus were made up of both Jews and Roman soldiers. The temple guards (Luke 22:52) were there, but they were not allowed to bear arms. Only Roman soldiers were allowed to carry both clubs (better “staves”) and swords (Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43).
Very close to the Temple precincts was the fortress of Antonia. The Roman soldiers were garrisoned in this fortress. The soldiers were on high alert whenever major festivals like the Passover were celebrated. They were always on the alert for trouble for Palestine in the days of Pontius Pilate was not an easy country to govern. The Romans had to quell violent mobs many times. They had been requested to arrest Someone who was potentially dangerous, and thus they came fully armed.
They were totally unprepared when they came to Jesus. He had openly identified Himself. He had asked the detachment not to arrest His Disciples. He had healed the man who had his ears cut off. No wonder they fell backward at the power and authority that was uniquely Jesus’ (John 18:6).
“THAT WHEN IT DOES COME TO PASS, YOU MAY BELIEVE…” John 14:29
Jesus had explained what would happen to Him long before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let us take time to read what John wrote on this matter of preparing the Disciples.
“And now I have told you before it comes,
that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
I will no longer talk much with you,
For the ruler of this world is coming,
And he has nothing in Me.”
John 14:29-30
How were the Disciples to make sense out of all that was happening to Jesus? The shock of His arrest had not even sunk in fully yet! If only they could recall all that Jesus had said! If only they could bring up their faith to the forefront, as Jesus obviously was doing.
“The ruler of this world is coming…” Who could that be? That could not be a reference to God? Jesus had denied any relationship to this ruler of the world! This ruler of the world could be none other than “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), the Devil himself.
He was going to be personally involved in this battle against Jesus. He was the serpent who was determined to bruise the heel of Jesus (Genesis 3:15). But Jesus at the end of the battle would crush him!
The battle scene was too ferocious for the Disciples. There was not only the presence of a powerful detachment of Roman troops; there was also the power of the devil that made itself felt! Something was going to give. It did. The disciples fled for their lives.
“Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.”
Matt. 26:56 (Cf. Mark 14:50)
Jesus knew that this would happen. The Scriptures had already foretold the fleeing of the Disciples. All things were occurring as the Scriptures had foretold!
“All of you will be made to stumble because of Me
this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ “
Matthew 26:31(Cf. Zechariah 13:7)